Category Archives: Fiction

The summer certainly has proven to be productive. My second short story, Blink, has been published on Amazon. It’s been quite a month already! Blink, the second short story in the collection, The Canon, takes the reader on a dizzying bike ride down the back roads of the Maine coast. Along the way, Andy O’Brien, […]

School is almost over for the year. Yes, teachers, like their students, count the days until summer break, and this year, I hope to spend most of the summer publishing some of my short stories. With any kind of luck, the second story from my new collection will see the light of day during […]

Saco – Another 12 inches of snow, another day to spend working toward the publication of my novel, Homecoming. Here’s a draft of the overview for the back cover. I hope you like it. Homecoming Overview: In 1967 and 1968 the Vietnam War affects almost every corner of the country and for the men who […]

Sometimes the story I’m writing takes a little detour or two as the story unfolds. One of the main characters in the novel comes from an area of southern California that is only 50 miles or so from the Mexican border, but this character’s mother (Anna Martinez) was born and raised on the border between […]

Seattle to San Diego – World War II has ended. The ship that served as his home for nearly four years is about to be sold for scrap and Jimmy Connelly can’t imagine staying in the Navy another day. Without any real plans, he boards the train in Seattle and heads toward his home outside of […]

View image | gettyimages.com Another day of writing, rewriting, and editing. The simple goal is to ‘finalize’ 650 words every day. If I can do that for the next few months, the majority of the work will be completed and it will be on to the next writing project. Yes, I already have the […]

Today was another successful day of editing, writing and rewriting. I think I managed to make it through another 50 pages in my book, Homecoming. Today the story went from the foothills of the Berkshires to the Shipyard in Bremerton, Wash. Perhaps this is my favorite sentence of the day. “He had money in his […]

Almost two years ago, I promised my friend Russ Warriner that I would somehow find the time to tell his story. Russ was a crew chief aboard a U.S. Army helicopter that was attached to the 1st Cavalry and served in Vietnam more than 40 years ago. He paid a dear price for his service. After […]

It was cold, quiet, and the summer sun peeked over the horizon about 20 minutes ago. Frank left the house early, especially for a Saturday; Judy was gently snoring and as he kissed her cheek and said goodbye, she murmured “good luck.” “Keys, wallet, phone, jacket,” he said out loud as he made his way […]

MAINE COFFEE SHOP – (Editor’s note: sometimes it’s just fun to watch people – especially in Maine) Like hunters staking out their territory, the couple almost ran to the empty table in the coffee shop and claimed it as their own. The young woman tossed a white three-ring binder with the words “My Wedding” onto […]

David Arenstam

Originally from away, but here to stay - Maine is my home and I love writing stories about the people and places from my end of the state. As a teacher and writer who’s seen more than half a century of life, I’m astonished by the people I now call neighbors and friends.